Their Failure

The sound of metal against metal was screeching in the street.
Jiraya was fighting Itachi and Kisame, holding them off from Naruto. He had been swift after Itachi had declared battle whit him and quickly taking away his advantage called 'Naruto'. The two Akatsuki was now the one to fight for Naruto and not the leaf ninja which made them furious. Kakashi was kneeling beside Naruto while hoisting him up in his arms. "Kakashi, take Naruto away, I'll manage!"

Kakashi knew this was true. Jiraya was one of the greatest ninja after all, but still, could he really beat two s-rank missing nin, one of them being the Itachi?

"Kakashi, we need to put Naruto's safety first!" as if reading his mind he declared those words while smiling broadly; "protect our student". He turned to face the two Akatsuki again. "You won't get past here!"

Kakashi turned around and glanced one last time at Jiraya before he ran in the opposite direction.
He looked down at his former students pained form. The genjutsu was not only keeping him asleep. He knew what Itachi was forcing him to go through. He wished he didn't know though, or rather that it wasn't true. To use this boy's memory against him would be crueler than torture; he had been through hell after all. 'I must take him to Tsunade-sama.' "I hope that she knows how to break this seal." He whispered to himself as he directed his path towards the Hokage tower.

Tsunade was sitting on the opposite side of Saeko. "You know of all our evidence so do you care to tell us why you would go through all this trouble just to get into Konoha."
He didn't answer. Tsunade sighed. "…we know that you only recently joined the mist. What village did you belong to before?"
He didn't answer. Tsunade sighed again this time one could here of her patient was running out.
'I know I recognize his name from somewhere…Saeko…'
She broke out of her thoughts as she felt someone approaching her window fast. "That's… kakashi's chakra!" She opened the window and through it jumped Kakashi whit a limp Naruto in his arms.

Tsunade gasped; "what happened?!" she demanded. Kakashi glanced over at Saeko. "It's okay, he knows of Naruto's secret, although he won't tell me how…" She directed the last words at Saeko in a irritated tone. He didn't even flinch like anybody else would have at the Hokage's intimidation tone.

Tsunade turned her full attention to Kakashi. "It's the Akatsuki…" Tsunade's eyes widened in terror. "What!?, where are they now?!"
"Jiraya-sama is fighting them but… he will need assistance."
"Who are the ninja?" Saeko suddenly spoke up. Both Tsunade and Kakashi stared at the boy. "Uchiha Itachi and Hosihkage Kisame" Kakashi answered.
"I'll go help him, I'm actually pretty strong and I know of their fighting strategy."
"And how come you do that then?" Kakashi asked warily narrowing his eyes into small slits.
"Let's just say that they and I go way back. I'd love to pay them a little visit"

"…I'm utterly doubtful in sending you since you were reluctant to cooperate whit me recently but since you did fight the Akatsuki in the forest of death and were successful in saving Naruto… I suppose we could need all the help we need. Kakashi… are you fit to go into battle?"
"Yes, Hokage-sama"
"Good. You and Saeko will go and offer Jiraya backup, I'll stay here whit Naruto."

She looked thoughtfully at the injured blonde while she made a hand sign for the two shinobi to head out. She walked over to him to see what she could do for him.

STRÄCK

Saeko and Kakashi traveled fast through Konoha. Saeko was leading the duo towards Itachi's chakra. Kakashi didn't want to have that boy able to jump his blank spot on the back so he was quite satisfied at his place in the back. He could sense something being off whit him.

They arrived at the battle scean only to realize that they were too late. "Jiraya-sama!" Kakashi called out and was answered by a pained groan from about 70 meters away. "Jiraya-sama… what happened?"

"They… they got away… where is Naruto?"
"He is safe whit Tsunade at the Hokage tower." Kakashi answered the anxious sannin
"He won't be for long, that's the first place they'll look for him!" He yelled hoarsely and tried to get up to his feet but stumbled back to the ground when a fierce pain shot through his body.
Kakashi stood dumbstruck staring at Jiraya. Had he just left Naruto to his doom?
"shit! I need to get there and help her fight them off; she won't be able to do that while protecting him." Jiraya said weakly.

"No. You are in no condition to fight Jiraya-sama. I'm sorry but you'll have to leave this to us, you will merely be a burden in this state." Kakashi stated.
Kakashi earned an angry glare at those words. "Like hell, I won't just sit around doing nothing while my student's life is in grave danger."

"I'm sorry, Jiraya-sama, but you'll have to." He ordered his superior
"let's head back Saeko" Kakashi said as he turned to the young ninja. They left without another word, leaving a devastated Jiraya to mutter over his failure. "I'm so useless; I couldn't provide anything more than stalling. They better not let him fall into their clutch."

STRÄCK

Tsunadehad finished treating all naruto's physical injuries although they were not many or fatal. The Akatsuki couldn't risk his life after all but she couldn't figure out the seal. That was tearing her apart from the inside, to see him squirming in pain and not even knowing what was causing it and let alone knowing how to make it stop.

She heard someone enter the window that Saeko and Kakashi had just recently left through. She tensed and started to gather her chakra into her fists ready to strike as she turned around to face the two Akatsuki nin.

"I thought Jiraya dealt whit you two….how bothersome" She said mockingly as she positioned herself protectively in front of Naruto. "…but I see he at least managed to weaken you a considerable amount." That was true, both Itachi and Kisame looked greatly fatigued.

"Still, I wonder how you managed to defeat Jiraya….?"
There was a moment of silence until Itachi spoke. "That man was blinded by anger, any good ninja should know better than to fight in that position, the blows merely becomes empty heated gestures... It became his downfall." Itachi stated simply.

"Now, if you would be so kind to hand over Naruto-kun to us and we will leave you unharmed, you on the other hand are no match for us especially not while protecting the him." That was true, Tsunade may be strong but she couldn't match up to both Itachi and Kisame even though they were clearly exhausted.

"I will never surrender Naruto to you bastards."
Kisame chuckled before he dashed at Tsunade whit his sword drawn. The sword and her chakra loaded fist met. Tsunade gasped as she felt her chakra being drawn and jumped back. She stared at the spot Itachi had stood whit wide eyes. He was gone. "dammit!" she screamed as she turned around to see Itachi roughly lifting Naruto from the couch and placing him on his shoulder. Tsunade dashed at him, furious. "seems like you are going to let your anger take the best out of you as well." Kisame said behind Tsunade as he catched up to her pace and swung his shameda into her back causing her to fall down to the floor. Tsunade struggled to get up to her feet. 'there is no way I'm going to be defeated this easily!'.

Naruto stirred in his captors hold. Itachi looked up on him and shortly thereupon Naruto slowly opened his eyes to slits. Suddenly his whole body stiffened and his eyes flew open followed by a loud terror filled scream. Tsunade had stopped struggling when she saw the immense pain the blonde was in. "The genjutsu I placed him in a while ago apparently broke…." Itachi simply stated.

"Genjutsu? I thought they only lasted for seconds?" Tsunade asked warily.
"…they do. He didn't listen to me so I used a 'special' kind on him…" Itachi smirked when he looked up on the boy on his shoulder again. 'Seeing his friends desperate eyes as they died protecting him. Dying for him. That'll break him down.'

"Kisame… we have what we came for. Let's head back, we have some preparations to perform before the extraction." Kisame nodded and in a flash they were gone.

'the- they actually took him… no, no, no. It can't be.' Tsunade lay on the floor quivering due to the wound on her back. She felt tears well up in her eyes, "No. no. no. He's gone. I couldn't protect him.'
"I'm so sorry… Naruto." Was her final whisper before fatigue took over and she fell unconscious.

Shizune arrived at the foot of the Hokage tower about ten minutes after Akatsuki's departure. She had been on an errand for the Hokage at the other side of the village (sake of course). When she felt the unfamiliar chakra she immediately dropped the bags and dashed for the Hokage's office. She saw corpses and heavily wounded chuunins and jounins in the corridors. She continued towards Tsunade's office and was frozen stiff at entering, there on the floor lied Konoha's Hokage bloody and unconscious. Shizune immediately sent a message to the hospital to send several medical teams for the other shinobi and Sakura to aid her in healing Tsunade. She instantly got down to her knees and started healing her mentor after that.

Kakashi arrived in at the office only minutes after Shizune came. Shizune looked at the dreaded Jounin whit a serious face. He was looking around in the room, desperately searching for something. This made her angry and nervous, why didn't he pay any attentions to the village leader whom was lying bleeding to death, what could have happened that made to aloof Kakashi this scared. He fell down on his knees when he didn't find what he was looking for. "Kakashi…?" She asked warily

He turned his attention to her swiftly not really noticing her, he merely stared at the bleeding form of Tsunade. "no…" he whispered. "Kakashi… what happened here?"

"…where…where is Naruto?"
"Naruto? I haven't seen him since this morning." Kakashi's face turned grim and serious. "Dammit!, When will she wake up?" He asked

"uhh… prob-" She was broken of by a cough by Tsunade.
"Tsunade-sama, where is he?" Kakashi asked alarming.
"He's….gone… they took him" Tsunade cried. She fell unconscious again. Kakashi's eyes were as wide as they could be and his mouth looked much the same. There was a silence in the room, the only thing heard was the footsteps of the medical ninja Shizune sent for arriving.

"Kakashi… what happened?" Footsteps unheard by the two shinobi was approaching their door fast.
Kakashi was looking Shizune dead in the eye, his facial expression now more relaxed. Showing anger instead of dread and amazedness. "The Akatsuki…". The door creaked open.
"…took Naruto." Shizune's eyes widened taking over Kakashi's previous face but couldn't do more than that to show her surprise since the pink haired girl in the door opening was screaming. "He got What?! No way! You're lying Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura was sobbing. She then saw her other sensei laying on the floor. "shishou!" She screamed and ran to her side. She started to shake her. "shishou, tell me it isn't true!"

Tsunade was forced awake by Sakura's frantic shaking. "Naruto can't be gone! Tell me it isn't true, shishou!"
Tsunade couldn't bear to look at her. "I'm so sorry, Sakura"
Sakura stopped her shaking and her arm's fell limp to her sides. "No way…" she whispered in disbelief. "Shikamaru wouldn't tell me what had happen to them. He just said 'It's best if you didn't know, it will be alright', he lied to me…" Sakura sobbed. "how the hell is this alright?!". She slammed her fist in the floor. "What the hell were you doing, why didn't you protect him?" she demanded angrily. Tsunade and Kakashi looked at the floor. They hid their ashamed eyes. 'yeah, were was i?. Dammit, this is my fault, I left him. I should have been by his side…naruto… I'm sorry. I will come for you!'

Shizune stared at Sakura angrily. "Sakura, do you see what condition Tsunade-sama is in, do you really think she did nothing, do you really think she just stood by as he got captured?"
"…I'm sorry; I shouldn't have said that…"

Sakura looked up and scanned her surroundings and found a man observing them in the corner. "Who are you?"
"He is Saeko…" Kakashi answered
"well, that doesn't really explain who he is…"
"No, but that's all he wishes to tell us."

There was a moment of silence. "so, Saeko… what part will you play in al this?" Kakashi asked.
"Not a part that will play out any concern for you, since the akatsuki is no longer here I suppose I will leave this village."

"What? You know full well that you are not allowed to do that, you entered this village under false permission and so you should be lucky to not be locked up in some gruesome cell."
"hphm, Whit both sannin out of the game right now, no one in this village is even close to be able to stop me. Besides, my target is the same as yours, Hoshikage and uchiha. Why not let me go? By the time you will arrive to save your friend, I will have taken out both of them."
"…why are you so concerned about those two?" Kakashi demanded.

"It doesn't matter, I'll be leaving now." And so he did. Not glancing back once.
"Tsunade-sama, should I go after him?" Kakashi asked a barley conscious Tsunade.
"…No, what he said is true. You wouldn't be able to beat him. And besides, I remember now. That boy and his parents, his story..." She smiled. "He is the best hope we have at the moment."

Authors Notes. Naruto is gone and naruto is weak as hell right now but he will show some fighting spirit later on in the story.

In the next chapter- More about Saeko's past and Naruto wakes up (on a cold stone table in chuckles btw! Mohaha. :D.)

Disclaimer: I do not own the Manga series Naruto